New Issue: Orbital Catastrophe Ahead? Read Now

A Transparent Enigma

Low-functioning autistics are not supposed to joke, write or creatively express a rich inner life. But then there's Tito Mukhopadhyay

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

00

Madhusree Mukerjee was a senior editor at Scientific American, where she covered psychology, anthropology, and diverse other topics. She has authored two nonfiction books: Churchills Secret War (Basic Books, 2010) and The Land of Naked People (Houghton-Mifflin, 2003). She has a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago and received a Guggenheim fellowship to complete her first book. She has written numerous articles on Indigenous issues, development, and colonialism and is working on a third book.

More by Madhusree Mukerjee
Scientific American Magazine Vol 290 Issue 6This article was published with the title “A Transparent Enigma” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 290 No. 6 ()
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican062004-4vfz0Z8Yevi80zDrnOPDgm

Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism

Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.

When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.

Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber

Thank you,

Jeanna Bryner, Editor in Chief, Scientific American

Subscribe